At present, in supermarkets and stores and the like, a multitude of information on product is displayed on the edge of the shelving units bearing the products. The mass production shelving units used in these stores have been designed with minimal communication options, limited to the display of the price of the product, e.g. by means of a data strip.
The shelving units are also used to carry additional materials for attracting the attention of potential consumers. These materials or display elements, i.e. Point-of-Sale (POS) materials include any item that is used to communicate or highlight a product, a product feature or a promotion and comprise various items, such as banners, wobblers, flags, or even samples of the products itself. They also include front shelf extensions for increased product visibility and all sorts of illumination or electronic devices to provide information on the product exposed, such as LCD-screens and the like. In order to fix all these additional elements to the shelving unit, various supports, such as adaptors have been developed, ranging from clamps and screws to magnets, which are to be mounted to the shelving unit. This mounting is usually done by bolts and nuts, or by means of snap fit connections.
As the shelving units have not been designed to hold POS-materials, these adaptors have some major disadvantages. All objects fixed to the supports in the form of an adaptor, as well as the adaptor itself, can be fairly easily knocked off the shelving unit by persons accidentally hitting the object or the adaptor itself when passing through the aisle. The object or even the adaptor can be damaged to a too large extent, which prevents reinstallation or reuse. Also as the supports can be disconnected, unauthorised persons may displace or remove the supports and/or the objects fixed to it. Such damage or removal becomes especially important as the objects become more complex and expensive. In addition, the integration of light and other electrical devices in maladjusted shelving units may be a source of major threats to consumers e.g. children such as electrocution and retailers such as short circuit and fire hazard and alike.